Food trailers for sale in Louisiana

Updated October 2026 · TX Food Trailers, Houston, Texas

Health permit: Louisiana Department of Health

Mobile food establishments are permitted by the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), Office of Public Health, Retail Food Program, through the state sanitarian for the parish where you will operate. LDH's fee schedule says a unit permitted in one parish does not need another permit, with more fees, in another parish. Some parishes and cities still ask for their own application before issuing a local business license.

• Plan review first: plans must be approved before construction or conversion. The steps are plan approval, construction, a pre-operational inspection, then the Permit to Operate.
• Commissary: the unit reports to a permitted commissary at least daily, with a signed agreement renewed every year if someone else owns it.
• Tanks: the waste tank must be at least 15% larger than the fresh-water tank. Ours are 40 gal fresh and 53 gal waste.
• Fees: plan review $100 (10 business days or less) or $1,000 expedited (5 business days or less); annual permit $150 for your first unit.

Because Louisiana reviews plans before the unit is built, send us the LDH Mobile Food Establishment Plan Review Questionnaire with your quote request. We fill in the equipment, tank and layout details for your submission.

Fire and propane

We found no statewide fire or propane permit for food units in Louisiana. Fire inspections are local; for example, New Orleans requires a fire department inspection for mobile food vendors. Our cooking trailers have a hood and a fire suppression system tagged in Houston.

Title and registration

Title and register with the Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) or a Public Tag Agent. OMV policy says all trailers must be titled before a plate is issued.

• Manufacturer's Statement (Certificate) of Origin
• Notarized bill of sale or dealer invoice
• Form DPSMV 1799, Vehicle Application
• Proof of insurance

OMV lists a $68.50 title fee and an $8 handling fee. Trailers over 500 lb gross need a trailer plate, and registered trailers other than single-axle two-wheel trailers need a safety inspection sticker.

Sales tax

Louisiana's state sales tax is 5% (from January 1, 2025), plus parish and city tax where you live. You pay it to OMV when you title and register. For a trailer bought out of state, it is due by the 30th day after the trailer enters Louisiana. When we ship the trailer to you by carrier, no Texas sales tax is charged; see nationwide delivery.

Rules and fees change and some cities and counties add their own. Confirm current requirements with the agency before you buy or apply.